As a member of the track team, Joe Lonek '11 has competed in various short distance events such as the 400-meter dash and 400-meter hurdles. He's recently increased his distance, adding the 500 meter to his repertoire during the indoor season this year. Joe has also competed in relays as a member of the 4x400-meter relay squad.
I sat down with Joe to talk about his final season as a member of the Dartmouth track and field team, how he gets ready to compete and why this season will be better than any other.
What are your hopes for this upcoming spring season?
JL: Well I definitely always improve on what I did the previous year. Last year, I had a really good outdoor season. This year, I got injured during indoor track, which was kind of frustrating, but my goal is to improve a lot from last year.
What is your favorite pre-meet meal?
JL: I like to eat an omelet and yogurt in the morning. I think the thing about track is you feel so nervous that you feel sick. Eating is not the easiest thing to do when you have a meet and you're thinking about that. Basically, I eat anything that's not going to upset my stomach. Usually like a granola bar or something.
Do you have any customs or traditions that you liked to do before competing in an event?
JL: Yeah, I always have the same routine before I get into the blocks before the gun goes off. I kick my legs and jump twice, and when I'm in the blocks I have to fix my shirt. I always have to make sure when I'm looking down the track that I focus on some part of the track. I don't know it's a little weird.
Looking back, what do you think has been the high point of your track career thus far?
JL: I think this past fall was a high point for me even though we weren't competing. I got to this point where our practice really wasn't hard. I finally started to enjoy practice, and I was doing well at practices. I had Lyme disease for a long time and got treated for that in the spring and summer and the treatment finally started to take effect and I started to get more energy. I could do the workouts and do well in them. I didn't have the same sort of nervousness. Going into indoor track I got injured, but this whole year has been kind of a highlight because I got that treatment and got that out of the year and feel way better.
What about track keeps you motivated to keep coming to practice every day, year round?
JL: I really like practice because you can challenge yourself and your body every single day. Also, all of my best friends are on the team. Like the other day, we had a really hard workout and everyone was there encouraging everyone else.
If you could play any other sport, which would it be and why?
JL: I played soccer when I was in high school and I really enjoyed that. I still play it when I go home and whenever I can. But I always wanted to do speed skating, something kind of odd.
What do you think about the freshmen on this year's track team?
JL: I love the freshmen so far. I'm really good friends with them, they're all really funny. They're really great to be around. When I came in as a freshmen I was a little hesitant but they're a lot more outgoing than I was, and I'm really glad about that.
After graduation, what do you think you're going to miss the most about the track team?
JL: Definitely my friends. It's a combination of things they motivate me to practice every day. You go down to practice every day and you're with your best friends. You get to challenge yourself. I'm definitely going to miss the combinations of my friends and the chance to challenge myself on a daily basis.
